taxpayers whose personal information was illegally accessed earlier this year. the information was used to file fraudulent refund to the tune of $39 million. >> in many ways this event is a shot across the bow to remind people of the nature of the battle we're fighting and the sophistication of the enemy. >> reporter: during two senate hearings today, lawmakers it and irs officials speculated about the source of the breach most blaming blaming international crime syndicates. some may have been stolen but other data could have been gathered from the taxpayer's themselves via postings on social media sites like facebook. irs inspector general testified that the agency has been repeatedly warned for years about vulnerabilities and in many cases, refused to act on his recommendation. >> managed to periodically review access to systems,